Walls
by CondorReaper
Summary: A story of walls and the beasts they keep out, as well as the monsters held within.
1. Chapter 1

The world of Remnant is a vast place, and the entire population is under the constant threat of complete annihilation via a massive, ebon colored force that met every one of their soldiers with one hundred of their own.

The Grimm

Monsters of jet black chitin, fur, and feathers decorated with armor of ivory bone. Their piercing eyes were a deep crimson, burning with a mindless, unending hatred for all that possessed what they lacked. The very thing that drew the line in the sand between man and Grimm.

A soul.

These hate filled beasts lacked a soul, and it was this same soul that man used to push back the tides, and construct their walls. These walls, once made of wood, soon became stone, and later, behemoths of technological prowess that separated man from the wilds.

These walls surrounded kingdoms.

These kingdoms were the strongest powers in the world, and likewise the largest. Infallible, powerful, and the very picture of human ingenuity and stubbornness. Soon, these kingdoms become veritable nations, yet kept their olden titles.

Mantle, the militant kingdom of the snowy north.

Mistral, the artistic neighbor of Mantle southeastern border.

Vacuo, the kingdom hidden in the desert sands.

And Vale, the emerald beacon of hope.

These were humanities strongest powers, their best hopes against the unending tides of Grimm. Even as wars between the kingdoms destroyed the land, as lives were lost, and Mantle became Atlas, their power still remained.

But this story does not start in one such kingdom.

Instead, it finds itself in the local tavern of a small settlement located deep within the snowy north, where only the hardiest survive. The town's walls are wood, and its trade is fish and game.

The old watering hole doesn't get much foot traffic outside of the locals, and as such it wasn't inconceivable for the figure inside to be all on his lonesome in the far corner of the bar.

What was odd is that it was the figure's first time visiting the establishment.

The tender and owner of the bar eyed them warily as he wiped down a glass, but made no move to strike up a conversation. Likewise, the stranger did nothing except nurse the tankard of beer before him, brown hood drawn over their eyes and cloak covering their body.

The silence was uneasy, but it wasn't tense until the doors slammed open, shaking the rickety building slightly as two figures strode in. One, an older man clad in a dark suit and an emerald scarf, his bespectacled face outlined in hair long since grayed. His piercing green eyes scanned the establishment as his cane was held in one hand and the other held a steaming mug.

His partner was slightly taller, though it was probably due to the former's hunch, and wore a white two piece with the midsection covered by a crossing gray vest, his gloved right hand fixing a tie. His own pair of brown eyes flickered from the bartender to the figure in the corner, his brow furrowing as the metallic piece over his right eye shone in the natural light.

The two moved nearly in sync, the former with cane in hand as the latter moved with a much heavier gait. The figure in the corner didn't dignify them with even a glance as they kept their gaze on the tankard resting on the table. Once closer, the one in white slowed slightly, letting the one in green take the lead and take a seat across from the stranger. The one in white then stood at the side of the table, hands clenched behind his back and face marred with a slight frown.

The one in emerald took a sip from his mug before resting the ceramic piece on the table, and the figure matched them with a swig from his own tankard. The silence grew thick, and the bartender would later swear that he felt he could choke on it if he weren't careful. This persisted for a moment before finally the figure sighed and slumped back into the cushioned seat, arms crossing and legs kicked up on the table. The white one moved to speak before the one in emerald stopped him with a raised hand.

"Awful long way from your emerald tower..." The figure spoke, his distinctly masculine voice slightly roughened from drink. "What do you want? Thought I made it clear just how much I didn't like you." He reached into a pocket inside his cloak, retrieving from it a cigarette and a lighter. The bartender frowned from where he stood, but decided that he'd rather deal with cleaning out the smell of smoke than getting on the figure's bad side.

"You dare speak to Ozpin like tha-" The one in white spoke before once more being interrupted by Ozpin's raised hand once more, a shake of the head accompanying the mouthing of the words _Not now James_.

"I wasn't aware you started smoking." Ozpin said, turning back with a raised brow, and he took a sip from his steaming mug as the figure's mouth shifted to a slight scowl.

"I picked up a lot of bad habits after that night a few years back," A deep pull from the cigarette, followed by an equally long exhale interrupted his speaking for a moment. "But you didn't answer the question. What do you want from me, Oz?"

"I suppose I'll get to the point then," Ozpin began, taking a sip from his mug again as James rocked on his heels a bit. "I want you to attend Beacon this yea-" He didn't even finish before a gloved hand slammed into the table, the figure having stood and was now glaring daggers at the older man before him. James had his hand cannon drawn and aimed at the figure, but Ozpin made no move other than to take a long sip from his mug.

"I thought I was pretty clear on my standing with you, Oz, but apparently, I wasn't clear enough." The figure spat out the wood of the table splintering slightly as he pressed into it further.

"Go screw yourself, you piece of shi-" James' hand cannon fired, its high caliber round moving just past the figure's face and through the wall, taking his cigarette with him. From James' look, it was intentional. The figure's frame moved with each deep breath he took before he stopped, retrieving another cigarette and taking a deep pull from it. He looked up and exhaled a large amount of smoke that gathered up near the ceiling, repeating the action once more before taking his seat.

"Why?" Was all he said as his gloved hand rose to his face, covering where his eyes would be as his face was pointed at the ceiling. Ozpin took another sip from his mug as a small, sad frown adorned Ozpin's own face.

"So you can fulfill your dream." Ozpin replied, watching as the figure's body slumped over and onto the table, cigarette falling onto its wooden surface before the figure crushed it with his thumb. He lay there on the table as James raised a single brow and Ozpin took another sip from his mug. After a few moments Ozpin sighed and set down the steaming cup.

"Jaune."

The figure shuddered before looking up, hood falling to reveal a mop of blonde hair and to blue eyes that seemed like chips of the sea embedded onto a pale face.

A face marred by a jagged, black scar that went from the center of his forehead to his left cheek, passing though his eyebrow but around his eye. It seemed to bleed into the surrounding skin, and light seemed to vanish into its inky depths. Jaune looked at Ozpin almost wistfully before casting his gaze to the tankard, its contents having spilled slightly upon his jumping.

"They would have wanted you to fulfill your dream. For you."

Jaune said nothing for a moment, his eyes darkening slightly before he stood up. Ozpin stood with him, and James stepped back as they both stepped out from their booths. The general's hand stayed on the hilt of his hand cannon as Jaune approached Ozpin, the blonde standing a few inches higher than the emerald clad headmaster.

He had no need to worry as Jaune slumped into a tight embrace with the headmaster, his shuddering form all to telling of the emotions the boy was feeling. They stood for a few minutes as Jaune's silent sobs slowed and his breath evened, before the teen finally stood at full height, his face adorned with a soft, small smile.

"Alright, I'll go." Jaune said, in a voice softer than the snow outside. Even James had a small smile as the three left, the blonde leaving a large amount of Lien on the counter. As they stepped outside and towards the outskirts of the town, Ozpin's smile shifted into one much more smug in nature.

"Good thing you agreed to come," Ozpin began, gaining confused looks from both of his current traveling partners. "Now you only have to deal with Glynda when we get to Vale."

Jaune's confused look shifted into one of absolute horror.

* * *

** So this is a thing. I mainly wrote this in order to both get the creative juices in my brain flowing again, and hopefully get me out of the stump I've been in for the longest time. Not sure if it'll go anywhere, but eh. Here it is.**


	2. Chapter 2

The flight back to Vale was long, and only interrupted by a short stop to refuel and the occasional flock of airborne Grimm that assaulted the vessel's metal walls.

That, and Jaune's vomiting.

But that was now in the past as the aircraft slowed, coming to a stop at the foot of Beacon's docks. Jaune led off the Bullhead, shielding his eyes from the bright light that emanated from the sun. The walls surrounding the city stood tall, iron wrought monuments of humanities indestructible will. The Emerald Forest, whose verdant canopy could just be seen in the distance. Our resident blonde was currently distracted, a wince etched on his face as he took the last few steps off the boarding ramp and onto solid, cobble ground.

Right in front of another blonde.

This blonde could very well be mistaken for a person who was unabashed by their nighttime preferences, with their black cape whose inside was a silky purple. She wore a white button-up blouse partnered with a black corset that did little else but accent her well endowed chest, and a black skirt that reached to just above the middle of her thighs and hugged them snugly. A pair of heeled black boots reached up just past her knees, and the riding crop in hand did little to help.

Any thoughts of after-hours activities were quickly stymied by the frigid glare that bore into Jaune, her emerald eyes fixing him with a look cold enough to freeze Vacuo over. Jaune's wince shifted into an awkward grin, a gloved hand coming up to scratch the back of his head.

"Hey~ Glynda," He said, awkwardly drawing out the greeting as her glare hardened, somehow becoming fiercer. Ozpin and James had finished coming off the aircraft, and both had smug grins adorning their faces as they watched the interaction. "How's it going?"

A pause followed his question before Glynda finally spoke. "One year, eight months, two weeks, four days, thirteen hours and forty seven minutes since I've last seen heads or tails of you, and all you have to say is 'how's it going?'" She paused, clasping her riding crop in both hands and clenching her eyes shut.

"Um, I can ex-" Jaune couldn't finish before he interrupted himself with a grunt as she suddenly embraced him. Her grip was strong, and he could feel his breath leave him even though he couldn't find it in himself to ward her off. Her body hitched slightly, and for a few moments they stayed like this until her face scrunched up and she held him at arms length.

"You reek of cigarette smoke and liquor," Her brow was furrowed, and her wet, red rimmed eyes carrying no small degree of anger, yet they were tempered by the overbearing sense of relief that was flooding her system. "Explain."

Jaune's face shifted into a grimace as he scratched his head once again. "Sorry, picked up a lot of bad habits after that night way back when." Tears pooled in her eyes once more before she nearly crushed him in another embrace. They simply stood their for a few minutes, absorbing the almost familial warmth that passed between them before Ozpin cleared his throat. The two separated, blinking before Glynda's face lit up in a bright crimson. She pointed her crop at the two older men, her glasses glaring over.

"Not a word to Qrow, lest you wish to be castrated telepathically." Jame's and Ozpin's smug grins were quickly overtaken by smiles much more nervous in nature, with beads of sweat rolling down their foreheads. Jaune quickly grew a shit-eating grin himself before it too turned nervous under Glynda's glare. She readjusted her buttons and pushed up her glasses before turning on her heel and heading to the main campus, muttering something about drunks and paperwork under her breath.

The men left behind blinked before relaxing with a heartfelt chuckle, following her path at a much more relaxed pace. The walk to the main building wasn't long, yet it gave enough time for Jaune to take in the sights, or lack thereof. The banners usually hanging from the light-posts were absent, and water had yet to begin to flow around the statue's base. Said statue depicted a man raising a simple shortsword to the air, standing atop the grounded Grimm corpse.

Jaune couldn't help but internally wince at the creature's fate.

Past the statue were the main halls of Beacon, whose stone walls were in the midst of being decorated with emerald banners by the staff. A scant amount of upperclassmen wandered the halls as well, talking amongst themselves while casting curious glances at the headmasters of Atlas and Beacon, as well as their charge. The three men paid them no heed, however, instead focused on getting to their destination.

A long elevator ride later, and they found themselves in the clockwork themed office of Beacon's Headmaster. Gears spun away above and below, and a clear, glass desk rested closer to a massive window that led to an open balcony. Glynda stood with her arms crossed, tapping her foot while a loud belch echoed out, drawing attention to its source.

Said source was a tall, lean huntsmen who was leaning against the aforementioned table. They wore a red cape that strapped to their shoulders and held there by a chain necklace with a crooked silver cross. A gray button up, whose top buttons were left undone, adorned his torso and was covered by a white coat whose sleeves were rolled up to the middle his forearm. A pair of black slacks went down and over a pair of black boots. To top it off, an open flask was in his left hand, and Jaune felt he could smell the booze from his position inside the elevator car.

It didn't stop the grin from growing on his face, and before anyone could react, Jaune was in front of Qrow, a vicious cross slamming into the drunkards stubble covered chin. With a loud crack, Qrow was on the floor behind the desk, rubbing his jaw as red eyes filled with mirth looked over Jaune's form. A moment passed, and Qrow was just as suddenly before Jaune, an upward kick meeting Jaune's midsection as the boy coughed up a small amount of spit laced with flecks of black fluid. Jaune quickly grabbed the man's graying hair, but before anything else could happen, both felt a tingling sensation overcome them as they were outlined in purple.

Glynda's eyes fixed both of them with a withering glare that seemed to bore into their very soul. Sweat broke out on both of their brows before she let out a sigh and unceremoniously dropped them face-first upon the floor. Rubbing their now reddened foreheads, they looked at each other once more before a snort left Qrow's lips. The snort led to a chuckle, which then led to full blown laughter, and as he held his gut the rest of the room's residents too found themselves letting out a quiet snicker or two.

As the laughter began to subside and James and Ozpin fully made their way into the room, the other two men slowly rose and took seats across from the headmaster's seat. James and Glynda took to the sides of the table, standing as relaxed as the two hardasses could. Ozpin took a seat in his chair and grabbed his still steaming cup of… whatever was in there.

"Now that you've all settled, it's about time we get to buisness." The older man said as he took a sip from his mug. Likewise, Qrow took a pull from his flask, much to Glynda's consternation.

"School's been going on for about a week, and luckily we have an open slot in this year's freshman rost-" Ozpin was saying, before being interrupted by an exclamation from Jaune.

"What?" Jaune was sitting up now, arms uncrossed and on either armrest. James and Glynda tensed while Qrow shot a raised brow at Ozpin. "You're putting me up with kids fresh out of school, kids who haven't seen sh-" A glance at Glynda made him change his word choice. "Anything the world has to offer?"

"You may be surprised," Ozpin answered calmly, slowly setting down his mug. "There are a few students who may know more then you give them credit for. Even a certain Ren-"

Jaune interrupted him once more, this time out of surprise than anger. "Li's kid is here?" He scooted up in his seat, a more somber look coming onto his face. "How is he? I… heard what happened to Kuroyuri." Much more quietly, though still audible to the trained huntsmen and huntresses in the room, he said "And I couldn't do shit about it."

Qrow's hand was joined by Glynda's crop in smacking across the back of his head, and he was left rubbing the spot as the older huntsman said "None of that, you hear? If anything, we're," he motions to himself and the others in the room. "The ones at fault for not reacting fast enough. Even then, by the time we received the call, we were way to far to do much of anything. That's just," He sighed, taking a pull from his flask. Glynda only looked on with sorrow this time. "The life of a Hunter."

They all took a moment of silence to reflect on the sad truth. Sometimes, they couldn't do anything at all.

Jaune shook his head with a groan. "Fine, fine," He reached into his coat pocket, taking out a pack of cigarettes and a flip-lighter whose decorations had long been scratched out. Before he could light up however, a Glynda's icy glare made him lower the narcotic and lighter. Instead, he chose to let out a sigh that carried with it the worries of a weary man. "When do I meet the team?"

* * *

Pyrrha's week in Beacon could be condensed into two words.

Exhausting and familiar.

Now, that wasn't to say her team wasn't comprised of two of the greatest people in the world, or that their sister team RWBY wasn't made up of absolutely splendid people (bar one entitled heiress, but even she seemed to be getting her ego checked). Ruby, RWBY's leader, was an absolute treat to interact with, something that earned her endless teasing from the bombastic Yang once this opinion was voiced.

Nora, ever excitable and an endless supply of surprises, was responsible for some of her exhaustion, but truly it came from one thing.

Her fame.

She had come all the way from Argus to escape it, foolishly underestimating the popularity of the Mistral Regional Tournament in conjunction with her plethora of marketing campaigns, charity events, smaller tournaments, clothes lines…

In hindsight, she shouldn't have gotten her hopes up.

Still, her hopes hadn't just been crushed, they'd been pulverized, mixed into one of Ren's drinks which she was then forced to drink.

Every day, at least half a dozen people asked for her autograph, picture, or words of praise. Particularly brave ones may even offer articles of clothing, which resulted in even more teasing on Yang's behalf.

Even Blake joined in on that one.

The recognition was exhausting, yet oh so familiar.

She had come to escape it after all, yet to no avail. Even her teammates, precious as they are, recognized her at first. Her being named leader of a three person team only brought more attention to her as well.

_It was familiar, and exhausting on a spiritual level._

A text rang out on all of their phones, startling her from her musings, Nora from her coloring, and Ren from his meditating. A quick glance revealed it to be from the Headmaster, requesting their presence in his office. They shared a raised brow before leaving the room. Nora took the lead almost immediately, skipping ahead while Ren and Pyrrha walked calmly behind in a comfortable silence. A few minutes later, and they were waiting in the elevator.

A wait that was greatly extended when Nora pressed all the buttons, much to both Ren and Pyrrha's exasperation.

Finally they arrived, and the occupants of the office were caught in an interesting position.

A haggard, older man was hunched over a small stool, hand clasped with that of a blonde looking to be around their age. The two were locked in place, visibly struggling to force the others hand to the seat of the stool while Miss Goodwitch and Ironwood matched each other's poses, hands slowly dragging down their faces.

Ozpin, meanwhile, simply sipped from his mysterious mug.

Beads of sweat began to form on the older, black haired man's forehead, while the blonde was grinning with a clear amount of effort showing in his neck muscles. The two's hands never budged an inch from their starting points at the center of the stool, and the students who've now stepped out of the elevator could only stifle their laughter, with little success outside of Ren, who wore a small smirk.

The boisterous laughter drew the attention of everyone in the room except for the blonde, who used the distraction to pull through, slamming the older man's hand through the stools wooden face, splinters shattering outwards and across the glass floor.

Miss Goodwitch slapped her crop into her hand, the stool reforming itself and the blonde and older man became surrounded in a shroud of purple aura before they were dragged to their feet. The students could finally get a better look at the two, and while the red eyes of the older man were interesting, the black shard embedded in the blonde's forehead just above the eyebrow stuck out like a shard of the night sky on the pale skin of the boy's face.

The blonde seemed to be eyeing up the three other teenagers, and after a few moments he nodded to himself before dusting himself off and stepping away from the side of the older man to stand before them. His brown cloak did well enough to conceal any apparel or equipment outside of the boots on his feet and the denim pants of his.

It didn't take long before Nora practically vanished from their side, seemingly blinking into existence at different angles around the blonde as she inspected him with a critical eye. After a few confusing moments to all but the inspector, she finally stopped in front of him, her gaze trailing over his entire form as she tucked a finger underneath her chin, nodding to some unspoken thought.

"You'd make the a great pancake knight." The shorter redhead murmured, nodding her head more vigorously. She spoke up this time as she declared "It's official. Welcome to Team PRN (Prawn), the fishy defenders of pancakes and people alike!" With that, she struck a heroic pose, her bob cut bouncing slightly as she did so. Ren's hand met his face, and Pyrrha was failing to stifle her tinkling laughter. The blonde just seemed bewildered, as did the older, more ragged looking man. Goodwitch was shaking her head in exasperation while Ironwood had a stoic face on.

Ozpin was taking another sip from his mug.

Pyrrha and Ren both stepped up at this point, forming up on either side of their teammate. Pyrrha went first, putting forth a smile that failed to reach her eyes.

"Pyrrha Nikos, leader of PRN." he stuck out her hand, and waited for him to meet the invite. He stared at the offered hand for a bit before he stepped to the side, his gaze taking in every detail of her clothes and form.

A chill ran up her spine.

Finally, he stepped back into place as he nodded to himself, matching the pose of Nora from earlier with his finger tucked beneath his chin and brows furrowed in thought. After a moment, he snapped his fingers as revelation seemingly struck him.

"You're a tournament fighter." he murmured, and Pyrrha couldn't help but wince internally. Much to her surprise however, he seemed disappointed at the revelation as he shook his head with a small frown. With a sigh that seemed to carry some of his woes- and his breath was atrocious if she was being honest- he forced a small grin onto his face.

"I hope you can fight monsters as well as you fight on a stage." With that, he moved onto Ren, leaving her a little bewildered at the suggestion.

She watched as Ren stuck out his hand, and in a move that no one in the room seemed to expect, the blonde embraced the raven haired boy in a tight embrace. Ren's shocked look quickly morphed into one of surprise as the blonde seemed to whisper into something into his ear before a solemn smile decorated his face. The blonde backed up, dusting himself off and looking at the gathered team.

"The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue." he said with a grin that shone with self confidence and visibly yellow teeth. "I hope that you know what you're doing, cause I'm not slowing down for you to keep up!"

Pyrrha could only don a small smile as Nora met his challenge with a war cry of her own.

Something about pancakes, of course.


	3. Chapter 3

Walls of concrete covered by bland colors of paint passed in a blur as the newly formed JNPR made their way towards the team's dorm. Nora quickly took the lead, skipping ahead and humming a nameless tune whilst doing so. She was followed by Ren and Jaune, the latter of which had his hands buried in his cloak's outer pockets while Ren was unreadable as ever, though those that knew him noticed his gait was a relaxed one.

Pyrrha took up the rear of the pseudo marching order. Her eyes were pointed forward, but her gaze saw past what was in front of her. She couldn't get what Jaune had said out of her head, like a cockroach that crawled across the walls of her mind.

_I hope you can fight monsters as well as you fight on a stage._

Someone doubting her capabilities was a fresh, new experience to be sure, but she hated how it seemed to physically pain her each time it crossed her mind. It scratched and clawed, leaving trails of doubt in its wake.

She hated it.

She wanted, no, _needed_ to go out and slay some Grimm of all shapes and sizes, with him forced to watch as she picked apart each and every-

The clearing of a throat tore her attention away from her thoughts, instead refocusing it on the noise maker.

They had apparently made it to their room during her musings, and the rest of JNPR was waiting for her to open the door with varying forms of worry or confusion.

She shook her head, slapping her cheeks before putting on a plastic smile before opening the door. It lead into a somewhat spacious room, though most of the space was taken up by the four beds evenly spread across the floor. There was a decently sized bathroom in the corner, and a window directly across from the door.

Nora barreled past and flopped onto her bed near the right wall, while Jaune shrugged and made his way towards the only one without any sheets. Before the champion herself could move inside however, the firm, yet gentle grip of Ren was on her bicep, and he pulled her away from the door. She cocked an eyebrow at the ninja, and after he shut the door behind him, he folded his arms and raised his own eyebrow at the redhead.

"Is there a problem, Ren?" She asked, her smile straining ever so slightly. The aforementioned ninja gave no response, keeping a raised brow on the champion.

"Look, nothing's wrong, okay?" She said, putting up a placating hand. Still, no response from the ninja.

"Alright! Fine," She said, her forced smile falling as she let out an exasperated sigh with her exclamation. "It's just, what he said is getting to me."

Ren's other eyebrow matched the former as she continued.

"I know, I know. I can clearly handle myself against the Grimm, and I can probably kick his a- ahem, defeat him in single combat at any time," she hid her slip up behind her fist, and Ren's look fell into a much more neutral expression. "But I don't like him doubting me, especially without even knowing me. It's just… ugh." She finished, her fingers combing through her hair as her gaze fell.

It wasn't a moment later when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up to see Ren with a hand on her shoulder, the other forming a "thumbs up" sign as a small smile graced his features. Pyrrah matched it with one of her own, a real one this time, and let out a short breath.

"You're right, I got this. I can prove myself next time we go on an excursion. For now, I just have to show him that I'm not some actress. I am a warrior." She became resolute as she finished, and she stepped confidently into through the portal and into their room.

Ren followed shortly after.

* * *

Jaune groggily rolled onto his side, looking at the alarm clock next to his bed.

_2:00 in the morning, huh?_

The team hadn't spent much time in their room after arrival. The rest of the team all had things to do for school, or training they wanted to do. They left him to his devices, and he spent a small amount of time "decorating" his portion of the room, which comprised of making his bed, placing what little extra clothes he had in a bedside cabinet that doubled as a nightstand. Soon after, he checked out his books, checked out a chick with a bow and a nice a-

He shook his head and groaned quietly to himself, rolling over and off the bed. After a quick change from sweats and a long-sleeve and into his dress shirt, jeans, boots and coat, he left as quietly as he could, which was a lot louder than he thought. Every step thudded against the carpeted floor, and left the wooden panels underfoot creaking as he walked to and opened the door.

Once through the portal and he was sure he had it closed behind him, he continued on. His mind was a haze, and his attention didn't return until his surroundings were vastly different from what they once were.

The night sky was covered by a cloud, its ominous underbelly blanketing the earth in deep shadow. The light of the city in the distance was ever bright, though his attention rested on the vast expanse of canopies before him. His position atop the stone cliffs behind Beacon Academy let his gaze stretch far into the forest covered horizon, his vision unhindered by the lack of light.

A benefit of his fate, he supposed.

The air was cool yet stagnant, no breeze to rustle even the loosest of leaves. He sat upon the grassy floor, his legs dangling precariously over the edge. Retrieving his lighter and a packet of cigarettes, he lit one up and took a deep pull from the glowing narcotic, its soft light magnified in the surrounding darkness. He focused solely on the tip of the cigarette, ignoring the haunting visages that dance at the corners of his vision.

Heads of blonde hair atop small heads, their pale faces eternally screaming for an end they would never receive. Seven of them, and in the corner of his eye he could just make out the gleam of an ancient blade.

He ignored it, closing his eyes and letting the smoke fill his lungs, swirling around in his chest before he let it loose, watching as it dragged away his regrets and sorrows. The images were hidden behind the smoke, and once it wafted into the atmosphere, the images had left with it.

After the blonde was finished, he crushed the butt of the narcotic in his hand, smashing the embers into the dirt below and plunging the world around him into darkness once more. He stood up, dusted himself off, and with one last glance towards the silhouette of Beacon's tower…

He jumped.


	4. Chapter 4

"Finally, my days of lying in wait, adorned in naught but a floral-print towel wrapped about my waist, and a shower cap atop my sweating brow, had finally paid off."

"Ahem."

"My prey, a beast of unfathomable shape and size stalked around the corner, it's hundreds of eyes scanning the entirety of the forest around us."

"Ahem."

"I leapt forth, my towel coming undone as I swung my trusty-"

"AHEM!"

"Hmm?"

Professor Peter Port's soul scarring tale was interrupted by a feminine voice being cleared. He took a quick glance at the class, his gaze finding a few people exhausted from the tension, or their faces locked in expressions of slack jawed, wide eyed awe. A quick nod to reaffirm him of his teaching prowess, he turned to the interrupter.

At the door, his coworker Glynda was pinching her nose, most likely due to exhaustion from all the hard work she does for the school, and behind her stood someone he never thought he'd see again.

Jaune Arc, a face full of mirth and shoulders shaking in repressed joy.

His face lit up, and he moved forward, dragging the boy into a massive bear hug that he was delighted to feel returned in kind.

"Ah, my good friend Jaune! How are you?" His boisterous voice carried through the room, rousing his students from their tension fueled meditations. He ignored the attention he was garnering, and if the way Jaune responded with a loud "Fine myself, and you Peter?" were any sign, then the boy ignored them too.

"I've been well, although," He lowered his voice with the conjunction, and his voice deepened with his emotions. "Do try to call me by my title in front of my students."

Jaune waved it off, making headway for the seats surrounding his stage. Before he could question what the blonde was doing, Glynda handed him a paper before turning and leaving. The paper turned out to be a new roster, and highlighted was the addition of Jaune to the class.

"Ho ho! Well then, now that we have everyone, allow me to continue. So I grabbed hold of my trusty weapon, bringing its impressive girth to the fore and-"

* * *

Jaune was euphoric by the time he stepped out of Port's class, a spring practically in his cloaked step as he jovially made his way down the corridor.

The rest of the class staggered out shortly after, everyone almost tripping over each other in an effort to be the first out of that torture chamber, including the rest of Team JNPR.

Well, at least the P and R. Skipped right up next to Jaune before she began to bombard him with questions.

"Hi Squeaky! Where were you this morning? Why do you smell like cigarettes? Is that a-"

"Squeaky?"

Nora blinked at Jaune's perplexed expression. "Yeah, 'cause you're the only person I know who can make the dorm room floors squeak that loud. C'mon, try to keep up here!" She said in an exasperated tone that was clearly exaggerated. He couldn't help but smirk at her child-like demeanor.

"Alright, Squeaky it is."

She beamed at him, and continued her bombardment of questions up to and including them walking into their next class, which was practically the only one which all students looked forward to.

Combat class.

He took a seat near the entrance, similar to his position in Port's room, and his team filed in next to him. Jaune folded his arms and leaned back in his chair despite its protests, the steel creaking loudly as he balanced on the back legs and rested his head on the stand behind him. Fortunately, kids were still filling the seats higher up in the stands. Loudly.

Unfortunately the clearing of a throat next to him was louder.

He opened a single eye, both of which having closed a little earlier. Glancing up and down, he gets a view of pale legs that lead into the school's uniform skirt. A little higher, and he spied a pale face topped with platinum blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. Finally, he glanced slightly lower and into a pair of pale blue eyes fixing him with a mean glare, the vertical scar over her left eye making it blisteringly cold.

"Well?" Her voice was elegant, if a bit high pitched, but he could feel any attraction he felt wither and die from the way her voice dripped with conceited elitism. Her foot began to tap, and a vein began to throb on her forehead.

He closed his eye.

"You son of a-"

"Jaune?"

That was a voice he recognized.

A voice he wasn't expecting to see here for another two years.

His head turned and both eyes opened to take in the sight. The earlier girl was still fuming, but in front of her was the much more welcome and familiar sight of Ruby Rose. Her deep, dark brown hair tipped in a red she swears is natural frames her pale face in a short cut. Her wide, silver eyes were wide with shock and a little awe, and not far behind her was her older sister Yang. The buxom blonde's face matched that of Ruby's, though her lilac eyes seemed to be shifting into red.

Uh oh.

Luckily, the bell saved him from that awkward reunion with its loud droning, and Glynda walked in before it had finished ringing. The girls found their seats above them, a fourth joining the first three with her nose deep in a book and bow atop her black hair standing stiffly.

He would bet money on her being a Faunus.

_And just like that, my morning's ruined._

It pissed him off to no end that in the time since he'd last been in a kingdom, they still faced prejudice to the point of hiding their features. Though, if what he'd heard about the new White Fang was true, they weren't helping much anymore.

Apparently, Glynda had been talking, and profiles of every student were scrolling by as blurs on the wall behind her that doubled as a monitor. Up popped some kid named Cardin Winchester, some kid with auburn hair and the cockiest grin he'd ever seen off of an Atlesian. The second profile kept scrolling for a few moments, and it proudly declared his opponent.

Jaune Arc.

_Just my shitty luck_. Jaune thought, sighing as he stood up from his seat. His seat squealed loudly as it returned to its normal shape, though the legs were slightly bent at the center. Nora cheered as he stepped onto stage, his cloak fluttering slightly in the A/C. Cardin left the room and returned a few minutes later adorned in a full set of plate-mail. The kid's shitty symbol was plastered onto the face of the chest.

_If that isn't ornamental, then he's probably one of the smartest of these little shits._ Jaune thought as a smirk adorned his own features, the sharp crystal above his left eyebrow glimmering in the artificial light. Cardin took a confident stance with his mace, the head resting on his shoulder.

"C'mon Goodwitch, just call it already. Just look at him! He hasn't even got a weapon, for Oum's sake." Cardin said, confidence oozing from every syllable. Jaune and Glynda both cocked an eyebrow while Nora and Ruby booed the claim. Jaune only shrugged and placed his hands in his pockets.

"Begin!"

Cardin slowly strutted towards Jaune, neither of the two looking anything but relaxed. Once the auburn giant was up close, it became apparent that Cardin was no longer the tallest in the room. Still, his confidence held.

"I'll give you a free hit, blondie. Just to make it fair." Cardin dutifully ignored the glare from the other blonde in the stands, focusing his cocky smirk on the new kid. Said kid only shrugged and threw a punch that seemed to be moving in slow motion, exaggeratedly so. It took a full ten seconds for the fist to cross the gap, and more than a few people were giggling on the sideline.

Nobody was prepared for Cardin to stagger backwards and onto his rear, and as the giant scrambled back up, a massive dent was in his chest piece.

_Ornamental after all. Guess this guy is dumb as bricks._

Cardin seethed, and with a loud shout from effort, he crashed his mace into the floor of the ring, knocking up a large amount of dust and debris. Jaune simply stepped back, and only Glynda saw his hand flash out into the air and grab something.

Cardin panted softly before his cocky smirked returned, though it shifted back into a snarl once the dust cleared and Jaune was slouching a little ways away from the impact. The blonde slowly took a hand from his pocket, holding out a small chunk of the floor. He tossed it over to Cardin, who fumbled with both it and his mace before he had it secured.

While he was distracted, Jaune reared a foot back before slamming it into the ground, a fist size chunk of concrete shooting out a blinding speeds toward the giant. Said giant turned back just in time to see a chuck of floor slam into his chest.

He went out with his aura.

Jaune basked in the awed silence while Nora and Ruby shook like leaves in high winds with excitement.

He turned and left the room.


End file.
